


Comparisons

by BannedBookReader



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Happy Ending, Internalized Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23137192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BannedBookReader/pseuds/BannedBookReader
Summary: First relationships have a lot in common with your last relationship, they also have a lot of differences. The same is true of Kaldur as a teenager vrs an adult.
Relationships: Kaldur'ahm/Wyynde (DCU), Roy Harper/Kaldur'ahm
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	Comparisons

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a writing warm up and morphed into some gay projection. Enjoy!

*****First Meeting*****

Swimming and reading was a terrible habit, Kaldur knew. He'd bumped into plenty of walls and other people while attempting it. But when your best friend was the best magic user in a school based around magic, there were some added pressures. So he wasn't exactly surprised when his shoulder collided with someone else's. What was surprising was the aggravated huff that followed. 

"My apologies." He looked up at the long haired boy who was now glaring at him. He was remarkably handsome despite the frown, but something angry about him was off putting. 

"Yeah." The boy pushed off in the water again. Kaldur wasn't unfamiliar with people being cold to him for no reason so he didn't think much of it.

"Hey! He apologized!" Kaldur froze in the water, silently swearing the powers that be. This situation was _fine_ he was _fine_. It didn't need to be escalated by the King's sister. He turned back around to see the boy glaring at the blue skinned girl. 

"Excuse me?"

"That's what you should have said earlier." She was floating at an odd angle, her hair spread out around her, matching her flowing skirt. 

"Deborah." Kaldur's voice was somewhat harsh but it got the girl's attention. The boy raised a strong eyebrow at him. It was odd, Kaldur scolding the girl who was "helping" him. But he had no intentions of this escalating out of proportions. Besides he'd already patched up plenty of unnecessary wounds Debbie had gotten picking fights, tonight he had to study. She turned to look at him. "It is fine. Leave it be."

She started to argue but quickly closed her mouth, then she turned back to the other boy and Kaldur mentally cursed her. "What's your name?"

"Wyynde."

"I'll remember you." Then she was by Kaldur's side. "Call me 'Deborah' again and I'll feed you to a whale _Kaldur'ahm_."

Kaldur didn't doubt either of his friend's statements.

○●○●○●○●

Kaldur stumbled a little as he walked out of the zeta tube. He was still getting used to the land, and the different ways gravity sat on his body. His king set a hand on his shoulder to steady him. The metal floor was cool on his barefeet, and the space was clearly lit by artificial lighting. 

"Arthur!" A yellow haired man approached, arms out spread. A grin was practically spliting his face in two.

"Oliver, my old friend. Always a pleasure. This is my protege, Kaldur'ahm." A pride welled up inside Kaldur as the king gave his shoulder a slight squeeze. 

"Well nice to meet ya' Kaldur'ahm! My name's Oliver!" 

"Will you please tone it down?" A new voice entered the fray. Kaldur leaned to side to look behind Oliver. Resting in a desk chair was a boy about Kaldur's age. No doubt Green Arrow's own protege. His feet were propped up on what appeared to be a computer system, and his arm was draped over his face. 

"Oh. I'm sorry Roy, am I being too loud? Would be a shame if that irritated your hangover!" He gave an over exaggerated wink to Kaldur and Orin. 

"Oh fuck off." The boy swung his feet down and stood up all in one motion. He looked Kaldur up and down with sharp blue eyes, causing Kaldur's breath to catch. Then he did something unexpected. His frown morphed into a smirk, and Kaldur knew somehow they'd be good friends. 

*****Being Asked Out***** 

"So...uh, what do you say?" Roy was often times awkward, but not in this way. He was looking more at his feet than Kaldur, and there was a slight rocking to his body. 

"I am not sure I understand the question." It was a blatant lie, but he knew that wasn't obvious. Somehow over the years he'd gotten very good at lying. His heart was beating in his ears, and he was struggling to take in air. 

"Oh. Um. I'm asking you on a date." Roy reached back to rub his neck, a nervous tick Kaldur had picked up on in the few short months the boys had known each other. 

"Oh."

"Oh?" 

Kaldur crossed his own arms and stared out at the skyline. His throat was dry. His breathing was heavy. And every part of him wanted to emphatically say _yes_. But fear crept in. It tainted all of his emotions and finally Kaldur shook his head.

"I am sorry. But-"

"It's fine! Don't worry about it! Forget I asked! Let's uh, get back to it ya know?" He motioned at city with his bow. 

Kaldur gave a heartbroken nod. 

○●○●○●○●

"Wyynde, are you asking me on a date?" Kaldur blinked up at Wyynde from his spot on a bench. His lunch sat untouched on his lap and the slightly older man shifted in the water.

"Not if you do not want me too." For the first time he broke eye contact, his green eyes darting up. What kind of response was that? Kaldur thought for a moment. 

"I suppose."

"You...suppose?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No!" Wyynde let out a small laugh. "That just wasn't the response I was expecting." 

"What were you expecting?" Kaldur wasn't entirely sure about agreeing, but he was interested enough in the potential positive outcomes that he was willing to try it. Besides, this would get Artemis off his ass about "meeting new people". 

"Honestly?"

"I would prefer that."

"I thought you would say no." He still wasn't looking at him, and now it seemed shame was sneaking into his expression. Kaldur gave a small nod. He could understand shame. His undercover mission had left him with plenty. 

"You are a different person than the one I met in school. I would like to get to know this new person." 

*****First Kiss*****

Kaldur had almost died too many times to not do a little bit of living in the moment. Sure he weighed the pros and cons of most things. Everything for the most part was approached with caution. But sometimes, like now, he'd take a chance. 

Wyynde's shoulder's slowly relaxed as he melted into the kiss. His hands rested gently on Kaldur's hips. Kaldur's own hands were still on the back of Wyynde's head, gently pushing it into his own. 

Wyynde pulled away slowly. His pupils were dilated and a grin spread out across his face. He rested his forehead on Kaldur's. 

"So this is going well then?" He breathed.

Kaldur let out a surprised laugh and decided to answer with another kiss. 

○●○●○●○●

His heart stopped in his chest, and probably not just because of the explosion that had rocked the boys to the bone. Roy was _on top_ of him. Why in the world the archer decided that him shielding Kaldur from the blast was a good idea would forever be lost on the Atlantean. 

The redhead started to get up but Kaldur shocked them both by instead closing the distance. He was surprised by just how soft Roy's lips were. 

The other boy wasted no time returning the kiss. He pressed his lean body into Kaldur's and grabbed his face, rubbing his cheeks gently. 

Then panic gripped Kaldur's heart and he pulled away with such speed that Roy actually jumped off him.

*****Sickness*****

Kaldur couldn't remember passing out in his tiny Surface apartment, but he _knew_ it had happened. Which is why waking up in his bed was so startling. He sat up quickly and then the room was spinning. A calloused hand rested on his bare chest and gently pushed him back down. 

"Easy Kal." Roy's voice was soft. Kaldur felt something cold and soft press against the back of his neck. It felt good. "Your fever has gone down, but it hasn't broken yet." 

"Why are you here?" 

Roy pulled away, a smirk playing on his lips. "Rude, first of all. But to answer your question, you didn't answer your phone. After the third time I got worried. I came up the fire escape-"

"Of course you did."

"Hush. I saw you on the floor Kal." He reached out to run a hand down Kaldur's face. Kaldur leaned into into the touch. "Why'd you let your fever get that bad?" 

"I have a duty." 

Roy let out a frustrated sigh but didn't say anything. He pulled his hand back, causing a small saddness to creep into Kaldur's heart. He watched as Roy walked across the one room apartment to get a glass of water and a bottle of medicine. 

"Well," He started, standing by the "kitchen" counter. "Now it's my duty to make sure your dumbass doesn't die of the flu."

○●○●○●○●

Kaldur's eyes batted open slowly. Eveything had a bit of blur to it, but he could make out shapes in the darkness. Particularly the shape of a man on his bedroom floor.

"Wyynde?" 

Kaldur had assumed he was asleep but he sat up so quickly that, that couldn't have been the case.

"You're awake." 

"What..." He trailed off. His tongue felt heavy. Hell, all of his muscles felt heavy. "Was I drugged?"

That made the other man let out a laugh. "You're on medication, yes. But you haven't been "drugged" per say." 

"Tell me what happened?" 

The shape of Wyynde moved closer, setting his hand on Kaldur's shoulder. "You collapsed in the Throne Room. One of your injuries from a Surface fight became infected. The infection made it's way to your heart. Kaldur you could have died."

He remembered now.

Damn. 

Kaldur thought he'd been treating it probably. But it was possible he'd been cutting corners...

"Why did you let it get so bad Kaldur?" 

"It is my duty to-"

"Your duty?" Wyynde's hand started to tighten on Kaldur's shoulder before pulling away roughly. "You almost killed yourself unnecessarily for your _duty_?"

"I...people need me..."

"Fuck that."

Kaldur tried to sit up in anger but his head was spinning and he quickly dropped back down.

"Kaldur your _duty_ is not more important than you. Your life doesn't mean less." His voice was jagged. Kaldur wasn't sure he'd ever seen him truly angry before, but he knew if he had it wasn't like this. "And who are you to decide not to take care of yourself? If it's your duty to protect strangers then it should be just as much your duty to protect the people around you! Your parents are absolutely distraught! Your friends!" And then more quietly. "I am distraught." 

If he hadn't been on the medication Kaldur could have come up with a response to every argument Wyynde has tossed his way. But all he could do was absorb the words, unable to bounce them back. He let his eyes drift close.

"I'm sorry Wyynde..." And he was. 

*****Dancing*****

Kaldur caught Wyynde as he tripped _again_ and bit back his laughter. 

"Are you absolutely sure about this Kaldur?" 

"It is easy my love! Just be patient."

"Nothing about this is easy! I can't feel the floor in these damn shoes and I can't even walk right. Stop laughing..."

"I am not." Kaldur tried to push off his grin but it seemed pretty well plastered to his face. He moved his hands from Wyynde's shoulder's to his waist. "Step forward. Not on my foot."

"I didn't!" Wyynde almost, _almost_ , sounded pouty. He plopped his head onto Kaldur's shoulder. "This is miserable." His voice was muffled by Kaldur's suit. 

"You just need to relax Love. It really is simple."

"Dancing in the water is simple. This is torture." 

"I have been tortured, I promise you, this isn't that." 

Wyynde's body tensed at that and Kaldur quietly cursed himself. He lifted his head to look into Kaldur's eyes. A pen could have dropped. And then just as quickly Wyynde was shaking his head and the tension fell away. 

"I think you might be wrong about that." 

○●○●○●○●

The music was borderline obnoxious, but the alchohol managed to take the edge off a little. Not that it had the effect on him that it was clearly having Roy. 

"Join me!" Roy wrapped his arms around Kaldur's neck, a sloppy grin spread across his flushed face.

"I will not be doing that." 

"Oh come _on_! It'll be fun!" 

"You, my friend, are drunk." 

"Friend?" 

Kaldur shifted uncomfortably under Roy's weight. "You know what I mean." He received an uncomfortable drunken look in response. 

"You don't want dance with me?" Roy nuzzled his face into Kaldur's neck, his nose brushing against the sensitive gills. Chills ran down his spine.

"I do actually. Just not here. Not like this." 

"Alright, then let's go."

"Go?"

"Where you want to dance." 

*****After the First Time*****

He was throughly convinced he'd made a major mistake. It was eating away at him. His breathing was hard and he wasn't sure it was because of the "exercise" he'd just experienced. Every muscle in his body was tense and screaming to leave. But that seemed rude, so he just laid there. 

He jumped a little when Roy gently sat a hand on his forearm. 

"Are you okay?" 

"I...am not sure." 

Roy rubbed his arm with his thumb. "I'm sorry..."

"It is not you." 

"What is it?" 

"I am not sure." 

Gently Roy pulled the other boy in. He was still tense but Kaldur rested his head on Roy's chest. This would be nice if he could just relax. Push the anxiety away. Keep the rest of the world at bay. He pushed himself into Roy as much as possible, holding on tight. 

"It'll be okay Kal, I promise." 

○●○●○●○●

"Wow." Wyynde breathed. 

Kaldur let out a laugh. "That is... one way to put it." He rolled over to wrap an arm around Wyynde. His boyfriend placed a hand on the back of his head. Kaldur let out a small hum and closed his eyes. 

"Are you going to sleep?"

"Is that a problem?" 

"Not at all." 

Wyynde shifted under Kaldur, clearly trying to get more comfortable. He used his free arm to return the sort of hug. Before long Wyynde's breathing slowed down to a steady rate and he was gone. Kaldur wasn't far behind. 

*****Heartbreak*****

Kaldur froze in the water. In the distance he recognized the man kneeling in front of one the many statues outside the Palace. He hadn't heard from Wyynde in a few days which was odd because he thought things were going well.

Garth placed a hand on his shoulder. "You didn't ask for my advice, but-"

"You are going to give it anyway?"

"Yes actually. Go talk to him." Then the other man was gone, swimming towards the Palace. Kaldur hesitated. There was probably a reason Wyynde was ignoring him. But also, it'd be nice to know that reason. He approached slowly, the current was calm and Wyynde would no doubt feel the disturbance. 

"Wyynde?" 

The older man's head shot up. He looked...awful. Bags hung under his green eyes, his hair hadn't been washed in what appeared to be a few days and was matted around his diadem. 

"Kaldur! What are you... why are you here?" 

Kaldur dropped into the sand. Wyynde flinched when he reached out to brush some of the hair out of his face. "I was going to the Palace. How long have you been here?" 

Slowly Wyynde shook his head. He ducked it down but gently Kaldur placed an open palm on his cheek and made him look at him. 

"Talk to me Wyynde."

"A few days probably." His voice sounded cracked, like he'd screamed raw. The thought of Wyynde yelling at the Gods until he lost his voice made Kaldur's stomach twist. 

" _Why_ " 

He shook his head in response. 

"Have you eaten? Slept?" 

"No." 

Carefully Kaldur pulled Wyynde into a tight embrace. He was shaking and didn't return the hug. "It will be okay." 

"How can you care about me?"

Kaldur pulled away just enough to see his face. "What?" 

"I'm a bad person Kaldur." 

"Bad people do not feel regret. Not like this at least." 

Wyynde laid his head on Kaldur's shoulder, almost as if it were too heavy to keep up anymore. 

○●○●○●○●

The steps creaked dangerously as Kaldur climbed them, careful not to step on any broken glass or abandoned needles. Sure he was wearing his sandals but there was enough of his feet still exposed for him to worry. A man at the top of the steps was glaring at him, but didn't say anything. 

"Um. I am looking for a friend?" Kaldur tried.

"And I'm lookin' for a wife. What of it?" 

Kaldur started to try again but decided to drop it. The worn down house wasn't very big, and he'd already checked the downstairs. He found plenty of people but none were willing or able to help. The next two rooms he checked were fruitless. 

Then he found him. 

Laying lax in a window seat, Roy looked barley conscious. Kaldur made his way over to the redhead. 

"Roy?" 

He rolled his head to look at Kaldur and at first seemed confused, but it was quickly overtaken by a sloppy grin and half lided eyes. 

"Hey handsome." His words slurred together. "You shouldn't be here..." His smile started to fade, but the relaxed expression keep him from frowning. 

"Nor should you. You need a doctor." Carefully he slid his arms under his...friend's body. He was surprisingly light and more than a little willing to be picked up. Wrapping his arms around Kaldur's neck and resting his forehead against the side of Kaldur's. 

"No I don't. I need you." 

Kaldur stopped walking. His heart froze in his chest. He could easily get Roy a doctor. He wasn't sure he could give him, himself. 

*****"I Love You"*****

"Roy why do you care?" Kaldur was getting sick of being scolded by someone who wasn't even on his Team, who didn't even have the full context. He clearly chose the wrong words though as Roy's face morphed from anger to confusion to hurt and back to anger.

"Why do I _care_?! Kaldur you were practically cooked alive! By robots! Why do I care?! You fucking idiot! I care because I love you! Goddamn it! Why do I care? Because someone fucken has too! What the fuck kind of question is that!?" 

Kaldur wasn't sure Roy had heard what he said. But Kaldur absolutely had. Something in him broke. 

"What?"

"What do you mean "what"?" He was still fuming but he'd picked up on Kaldur's shift and stopped yelling. 

"You said you love me." 

Shock covered Roy's face before it went completely blank. "Is that so hard to believe?" 

Kaldur responded by crossing his arms and looking at the floor. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. The first person outside of his family to tell him that they loved him wasn't supposed to be another boy. And he definitely wasn't supposed to want to say it back. He felt his throat close. 

He'd seen plenty of panic attacks in his life. He'd even experienced a few. But now was absolutely the worst time for one. 

"Roy..." 

"Nevermind." He looked hurt, but he didn't stick around long enough for Kaldur to examine his face. Once his apartment door slammed shut Kaldur dropped to his knees. 

○●○●○●○●

"This is beautiful." Wyynde looked out at the chasm breaming with ocean life. Just enough light from the Surface filterd through to add an extra layer of beauty. Wyynde turned from the sight to look at Kaldur. He squeezed his hand. "Thank you for showing me this." 

"Of course." 

Then Wyynde's lips were on his, a soft but long kiss pushed them both back in the water. They pulled away slowly. A grin spread out on Wyynde's face. Gently he rested his forehead on Kaldur's. 

"Kaldur?"

"Yes?"

"I think I love you." 

His blood ran cold. That was an absolutely terrible idea. 

But. 

"I think I love you too." 

And they were kissing again, only this time it was a little bit more difficult due to the grins covering both men's faces. 

*****Meet the Parents*****

"Wyynde, you can relax, I promise we do not bite." Sha'lain'a gave a light smile before taking another bite of her dinner. 

"I am sorry ma'am. I have never done this before." 

"Eat dinner?" Calvin asked. He shared Kaldur's smirk. Wyynde just seemed more flustered however. 

"No. I have eaten dinner many times-"

"Well that is a relief." Sha'lain'a jumped back in. 

Kaldur knew he probably shouldn't be amused watching his parents toss his boyfriend back and forth like a ball, but it was funny. Wyynde seemed to be floundering and kept looking to Kaldur for help. As if Kaldur would make himself a target in this. 

"Perhaps you two should tell me about yourselves?" Wyynde tried. 

Calvin waisted no time jumping on that one. "Shouldn't we be requesting that of you?" 

"Oh. Um." 

Kaldur set his fork down so that he could adequately cover his grin with his dominant hand. 

○●○●○●○●

The room was spinning. This couldn't be happening. Kaldur felt his whole world start to tear apart at the seams. He was comprehending in peices. Roy pulling his shirt on. Making small talk. Sha'lain'a giving a small laugh. None of it was fitting right in Kaldur's head. 

There was no heartbreak evident on his parents faces. No one was yelling. They were laughing. But Roy was good at de-escalation when that was the only option, so that could explain it. 

Kaldur couldn't bring himself to move, even to put his shirt back on. He was thankful his pants were still on. Even breathing seemed like he was drawing too much attention to himself. 

Then Calvin was sitting next to him. His hand resting on Kaldur's shoulder.

"Did I ever tell you how I met your mother?" If Kaldur didn't know better it seemed that Sha'lain'a seemed panicked. 

"What?" Was all Kaldur managed to croak out. 

"She was dating my exboyfriend."

It took a second for the words fo have meaning. Then Kaldur understood exactly what his father was telling him. The relief from letting go of so much tension and fear that he held onto for so long made Kaldur actually double over. A loving hand rubbing his back.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments appreciated and welcome


End file.
